Advancing the Legacy...

(Following Article is actually an interview of Famous young Indian Classical Singer Rahul Deshpande. I done this interview on Saturday 24th of November 2007 when Rahul was in Nagpur for his live performance. The interview is pre-published in The Hitavada.)

HISTORY of Indian classical music is incomplete without mentioning the name of the Late Dr Vasantrao Deshpande, the legendary singer, who won the hearts of one and all, specially Maharashtrians.
Now, Vasantrao’s grandson, Rahul, is following his grandpa’s footsteps, in a bid to fill the vacuum created.
Talking to ‘The Hitavada’, Rahul spoke at length on his grandfather, the present music scene, talent hunt shows on television etc.
When asked how it feels to be a grandson of one of the most respected music maestro, “Proud”, pat came a reply from Rahul.
Many critics and those who matter in the music world vouch that Rahul is a gifted singer with pleasant voice and an intimate sense of ‘Sur’, just like his grandfather. How does he feel about it?
“It does always feel good to get acclaim but I am nowhere in front of the legend,” said Rahul with humility.
Speaking about his childhood dream, Rahul said, “I did not want to be a singer though I started learning music at the age of six.”
“When I was 13 years old, my father brought Kumar Gandharva’s audio cassette. I was so fascinated with Kumarji’s music, I at once started taking music learning seriously.” But this doesn’t made him choose music as a means of earning his livelihood.
“I wanted to be a Chartered Accountant. I even completed Master degree in Commerce for this. But when I visited legendary P L Deshpande, I was completely changed,” said 28-year-old Rahul, recalling the turning point in his life.
“I told Bhai (P L Deshpande) that I want to make a career in accountancy and commerce. He asked, how many boards of CAs I saw on way to his house. I said, “many.” “And how many of singers?” he put a poser and said, “I want you to put up a board of singer.”
“Since then, I am into music,” said Rahul.
Rahul got formal training from Gangadharbuwa Pimpalkhare and Dr Madhusudan Patwardhan. His interest in Kumar Gandharva’s music brought him to Mukul Shivpura (Kumarji’s son) who still guides him.
Rahul believes that any kind of music gives pleasure. But classical music is here to stay, he said.
Today, young generation is attracted towards instant publicity platforms. But Rahul finds no potential in such talent hunts.
“When they say that your ‘sur’ was wrong today and you will make improvement till next week, I laugh at them. If improvement in ‘sur’ is possible within a week, there is no need for great musicians to dedicate their lifetime in practicing one Bandish and raag,” said Rahul admitting that real talent never remains unnoticed for long.
The classical music too had many changes since his grandfather’s age. The old time overnight ‘maifils’ are out of date. When asked about the changes in classical music, he said, “We have to accustom ourselves with the changes. Overnight maifils are practically impossible in today’s fast age.”
The ‘Gharana’ and ‘Guru-shishya’ tradition in classical music is hard to find now. However, according to Rahul, the gharana tradition restricts you to a typical type of singing. Like his grandfather, he too is interested in handling all aspects of music. With classical Raagdari, he sings ghazals, bhakti sangeet and semi-classical songs. Through hundreds of stage performances all over the world and several audio cassettes and CDs to his credit, Rahul’s voice is catching attention of every music lover. Through his regular appearances on Marathi television channels like ETV, Me Marathi and Sahyandri, Rahul is reaching to every Marathi house. The talented artist received many honours including Rasikagrani Dattopant Deshpande Award in Sawai Gandharva Music Fest and Sudhir Phadke award for glorious achievement in young age. Besides music, Rahul is interested in adventurous activities like trekking and driving. He is a good player of tennis.
When asked about future plans, Rahul said that he is concentrating only on his classical performances. He received several proposals from Marathi films but he is not interested in acting. His grandfather performed through some Marathi films, “But I can’t do everything that grandpa has done. He was a legend,” says Rahul with a smile on his face. He is not even interested in performing through musical dramas like his
grandfather.
“In February, we will celebrate the 25th death anniversary of grandpa in a grand way by planning an international music festival. We will also organise a competition for budding singers and the winners will be imparted classical music training for free,” said the young man confidently.